How To Create Buyer Personas That Work

If you build it, they will come. Not only is this an overused line from a classic movie, but it is also the mentality many have when running a business. As long as you create the perfect product or offer great services, you will be rolling in sales. Unfortunately, this simply is not the case. You have to dig deep and discover what makes your business unique. Buyer personas are the best way to accomplish this, providing insights that spur immense growth. Here are five ways to create buyer personas that work:

Review Your Current Trends

Before you start building your buyer personas, conduct a bit of in-house research. Review sales and purchasing behavior, tracking movement through the sales and marketing funnels. Make note of any patterns as well as unusual spikes in activity. Use a platform such as Google Analytics to analyze your data. Understanding the ebb and flow of your customer engagement and conversions will inform the rest of the process.

Talk To Both Existing Customers and Prospects

Existing customers are great resources. Aside from the fact that they contribute to 80% of your revenue, they provide insight into what works and what doesn’t work. Do not be afraid to talk to both satisfied and unsatisfied customers. As difficult as it may be to hear, it is important to understand all experiences related to your business. Also, include leads and prospects. This will give an idea of potential markets and which lead generation tactics were successful.

Be Specific and Highly Personal

When conducting your interviews, ask questions that go beyond simple demographics. Career level, age, and income are all important, but to truly understand your customer base, you have to figure out what makes them tick. What does Susan from Accounting want our of her career? How does Linda in Human Resources navigate challenges in the office? What does CEO Bob like to do in his spare time? The goal is to craft a persona that is as real as the people you sell to, which creates more informed and targeted business decisions.

Incentivize The Interview

As great as it would be for everyone to just talk for free (hey, that rhymed), most people are busy. And if they are not busy, they will tell they are in order to get out of what they may perceive to be a fruitless phone call. The best way to overcome this resistance is to give an incentive. Gifts are an excellent way to incentivize. They personalize the interaction as well as provide a tactile reminder of your business. Check out our Business Promotion collection or Corporate Gifts collection for great gift ideas.

Set Benchmarks with Relevant Metrics

The only way that all your hard work will pay off is if you set goals and identify relevant metrics. Once you have your hard-earned buyer personas, it’s time to create a strategic plan. Look for common characteristics between buyers and any trends you notice regarding motivations and needs. Do not focus on what you can sell to your customers. Think of ways you can make their life easier through useful content and resources. Then decide what success looks like for your business and ways to measure that success. Be specific.

Although buyer personas are just one component of effective marketing, they are a crucial part. Use them to inform your business decisions. If done correctly, they can be an invaluable resource.

Ready to wow those identified buyers? Contact Choice Premiums at 478-741-888 or request@choicepremiums.com to build a fabulous campaign.